In the Shadow of Three Bolts: Letters
by Rumour of an Alchemist
Summary: Alternate Universe. Some of the written exchanges which occured during the spring of 1991, concerning where pupils would be studying in the coming September. May not make so much sense to those not familiar with my 'Shadow of Three Bolts' alternate universe.


Disclaimer: I am not J K Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter.

Note: The following is set in an alternate universe in which Trelawney's prophecy about the one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord shattered on Hallowe'en 1980 when Voldemort was 'killed' in the midst of a pitched battle at Godric's Hollow without having marked either Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom as his equal. James Potter was also a casualty of this battle, though Lily survived and became known as 'The-Woman-Who-Lived' on account of her having faced Voldemort and survived; events having proven highly traumatic for her, Lily disappeared (with Harry) from the wizarding world. She subsequently married Severus Snape.

Further Note: This is a one-shot which ties with the 'shadow of three bolts' material I put out under a different penname on another website. Whilst I originally submitted this material to that website, it was rejected there (if I understand correctly) on the basis that it essentially takes the form of an exchange of letters and memoranda – such a format being considered an unacceptable method of presentation for material on that site. This is posted on this site in response to a review of another piece.

Clarification: 'Grassguards' is the name of the house in this particular universe where as of 1991 Harry Potter, his mother, her second husband, and Harry's half-siblings live. It's in southern England, although named after a spot in the English Lake District.

* * *

Letter sent by Royal Mail, Albus Dumbledore to Lily Snape:

_Hogwarts _

_5__th__ March, 1991 _

_Dear Lily, _

_Just a friendly reminder that soon Harry will be getting his Hogwarts letter, and that you can write to me if there's anything you'd like to discuss. _

_Yours, _

_Albus Dumbledore._

* * *

Letter sent by Royal Mail, Lily Snape to Albus Dumbledore:

_Grassguards _

_10__th__ March, 1991 _

_Headmaster, _

_I made my feelings quite clear to Horace last summer when he 'bumped' into us on your suggestion at the National Rail Museum in York. I will not send Harry to any school which his eldest sister cannot attend. Celia will not go to any school which does not offer cricket on the curriculum. _

_Yours, _

_L. Snape._

* * *

Letter sent by Royal Mail, Albus Dumbledore to Lily:

_Hogwarts _

_15__th__ March, 1991 _

_Dear Lily, _

_Be reasonable. Do you really expect me to try and get a muggle sport on the Hogwarts curriculum? If you would be prepared to request some alternative ways by means of which I might be able to make her life more comfortable, I'm sure that we might be able to come to some sort of agreement. _

_Yours, _

_Albus Dumbledore._

* * *

Letter sent by Royal Mail, Lily Snape to Albus Dumbledore:

_Grassguards _

_19__th__ March, 1991 _

_Headmaster, _

_I __AM__ being reasonable. My daughter wishes to play cricket. I therefore wish her to be able to attend a school which offers her the chance to play cricket. I am perfectly prepared to keep her here and home-school her and her brother, so she has access to the local village cricket club. And let us not even forget I had other concerns, too. _

_Yours, _

_L. Snape._

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Albus Dumbledore to Minerva McGonagall:

23rd March, 1991

Minerva,

Lily is absolutely refusing to budge on the cricket issue, and she says she won't send Harry to a school Celia can't attend and play cricket at.

Suggestions?

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Minerva McGonagall to Albus Dumbledore:

23rd March, 1991

Albus,

What about putting cricket on the curriculum? We could integrate it with Muggle Studies.

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Albus Dumbledore to Minerva McGonagall:

23rd March, 1991

Minerva,

Absolutely out of the question. You know the trouble I originally had getting Muggle Studies on, and a fight to get cricket in would cost me practically all the political capital I have right now with the governors. I'd have an easier time getting an actual muggle into the school as a student.

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Minerva McGonagall to Albus Dumbledore:

23rd March, 1991

Albus,

Then forget having Harry or Celia here. By the way, have you sorted out the list of prospective D.A.D.A. teachers for next year yet?

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Albus Dumbledore to Minerva McGonagall:

25th March, 1991

Minerva,

Looking over the last memo I sent you, I may have a way forward; I'll speak to you at the next staff meeting. Thanks for the D.A.D.A. reminder. Armstrong Belby owes me a favour and might agree to a nine month contract.

* * *

Letter sent by owl, Lucius Malfoy to Albus Dumbledore:

_Malfoy Manor _

_2__nd__ April, 1991 _

_Dear Headmaster, _

_I was disturbed to learn that the possibility was aired at a recent staff meeting of inviting a muggle student to Hogwarts next year. If this was not an 'April Fool' prank in bad taste and there __is__ any truth in this rumour, I shall fight it at every step through the board of governors. _

_Yours, _

_Lucius Malfoy, Chair of the Governors._

* * *

Letter sent by Royal Mail, Lucius Malfoy to Lily Snape:

_Malfoy Manor _

_2__nd__ April, 1991 _

_My most gracious Lady, _

_I gather that there is a possibility that next academic year you may be keeping your son, Harry, at home to personally tutor him. Of all the women in the world other than my own dear wife, Narcissa, I am certain that you are one of the wisest, and your skills and exploits as a witch are of course rightly lauded. If I might have the most dreadful impertinence to enquire, might it be possible that you would consider perhaps accommodating and tutoring my own son, Draco, next academic year? The headmaster of Hogwarts and myself do not currently see eye to eye on a number of issues, and although continental schools such as Durmstrang are in theory possibilities, they have the disadvantages that Narcissa would prefer not to send Draco out of the country and they lack as skilled witches as yourself. _

_Your most humble servant. _

_Lord Lucius Malfoy._

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Minerva McGonagall to Albus Dumbledore:

2nd April, 1991

Albus,

What were you thinking? My silence at the staff-meeting was not an indication of my agreement with your latest scheme; it was sheer stunned bewilderment. Are you out of your mind, inviting a muggle to Hogwarts? If this is to do with some attempt to manipulate Lily Snape, because she won't send Harry to Hogwarts, I consider it borderline an abuse of your position and authority as headmaster…

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Albus Dumbledore to Minerva McGonagall:

2nd April, 1991

Minerva,

It is perhaps an unfortunate turn of phrase, but I believe that this is all for the 'greater good'. I consider it necessary to open the eyes of wizards to the fact that muggles are not so bad as the pureblood extremists like to make out, it is supportive of our Muggle Studies program, and it will hopefully help to foster better links between their world and ours. You allude to my exchanges with Lily: it is true that I have her nephew, Dudley Dursley, in mind as the first pupil for this program (although I will require you to keep that confidential between ourselves for now). However, as far as I understand young master Dursley already _has_ some knowledge and experience of our world, given who his mother's sister is and that, as far as I am given to understand, his father occasionally runs potion ingredient collecting errands for Lily. I believe that he would be an ideal candidate to trial such a program, and that even someone with no magical ability whatsoever would no doubt fit in very well in Hufflepuff.

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Minerva McGonagall to Albus Dumbledore:

3rd April, 1991

Albus,

I'm sure that Pomona would be no doubt 'delighted' to learn that if you get this piece of insanity through the board that you hope the Sorting Hat will dump the resulting mess in her lap.

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Albus Dumbledore to Minerva McGonagall:

3rd April, 1991

Minerva,

Sarcasm does not always suit you.

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Minerva McGonagall to Albus Dumbledore:

8th April, 1991

Albus,

I gather that Lucius intends to fight you tooth and nail on your scheme to invite a muggle to Hogwarts at every possible step though the board, and that he may send Draco elsewhere if he can't stop it.

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Albus Dumbledore to Minerva McGonagall:

8th April, 1991

Alas, one less likely Slytherin to deal with. Such a shame! (And being headmaster, I consider that I have the privilege of being sarcastic to my staff whensoever I choose.)

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Minerva McGonagall to Albus Dumbledore:

18th April, 1991

Albus,

What in Merlin's name is Lucius playing at? Why's he taking a 'student safety' line? I was expecting a politely-phrased rant to the board at last night's meeting about wizarding traditions, but instead he came out with a 'well, we shouldn't have muggles at Hogwarts because aforementioned muggles will not be able to protect themselves' speech. Since when has Lucius been so concerned about muggle welfare?

* * *

Hogwarts Internal Memo, Albus Dumbledore to Minerva McGonagall:

18th April, 1991

Minerva,

He seems to be trying to take the moral high ground for some reason and to fight me on my own terms for once, since he knows I'm so avowedly in favour of muggle protection. It's amusing but I can handle it. This is going to be easier than I thought.

* * *

Note by owl, Horace Slughorn to Lily Snape:

(Sent 19th April, 1991)

They're going crazy here, Lily. Our esteemed headmaster's trying to push some pilot scheme through the board of governors to get a muggle student in Hogwarts, and Lucius is playing it oddly soft for once, pleading student safety (of any such muggle) to oppose it.

Horace.

* * *

Note by owl, Lily Snape to Horace Slughorn:

(Sent return, 19th April, 1991)

Weird. Thanks for keeping me in the loop, Horace.

Lily.

* * *

Letter sent by Royal Mail, Lily Snape to Lucius Malfoy:

_Grassguards _

_24__th__ April, 1991 _

_Dear Lucius, _

_Apologies for my tardiness in responding to your recent enquiry, but I have of necessity been in discussion of this with Severus, and consulting with friends from the ministry as regards the legal niceties involved in tutoring children who are not one's own. With no insult intended to yourself, I also have to consider if there are secrets I would prefer to keep in the family, and if so how this would square with tutoring Draco? As with many witches and wizards who research into new spells, I am a little protective of my work, partially because I wish to protect my name rather than see something not quite tested right through become public knowledge and partly because in the interests of protecting my family I like to have some secrets to wield to advantage in a crisis. Understand this is not a 'no'. It's more of an 'I'm thinking about it, and some of the issues involved are proving rather complex'. I hope to be in contact again within the next few days. _

_Yours cordially, _

_L. Snape._

* * *

Author Notes:

As a reminder, this is an alternate universe which has gone off on somewhat of a tangent, since 1980. The 'Celia' referred to occasionally, is Harry's oldest half-sister, Celia Snape.

I'm not clear on how long it's been on the curriculum in canon, but I've assumed that Muggle Studies being on the Hogwarts curriculum in this universe is a result of Albus Dumbledore's efforts, at some point during his career either as a teacher or as headmaster at Hogwarts.

Most of the communications to/from Grassguards detailed above occur by means of 'muggle' post ('Royal Mail') since there are _very_ few people in the magical world that Lily trusts or wants to hear from (or who even know her address) and Grassguards has extensive wards, including practically exclusive anti-owl ones.

This was my first serious foray into trying to build a piece of writing in the style of written exchanges, and I found the piece fairly enjoyable to write, being able to play with different people communicating different things in different directions, sometimes on the same date, and with different means of addressing others or signing themselves.

For the record, Lucius Malfoy takes a 'student safety line' in his attempts to prevent a muggle from being invited to Hogwarts since the identity of the muggle Albus wants has leaked to Lucius (possibly because he's chair of governors) and he knows Dudley is Lily's nephew. Lucius has his own somewhat complex interactions ongoing with Lily. He views her as the potential next dark lady – after all in 1980 she killed the dark lord and took his wand as her own to replace the one he'd just broken, and she's been quite ruthless in response on the one occasion former Death Eaters tried to 'avenge their lord' – and even if she doesn't end up _quite_ a dark lady then she's still someone he at least wants to work with. And at any rate, Lucius doesn't intend to start throwing insults around or speaking down about muggles to try to keep Dudley out of Hogwarts, in case that gets back to Lily.

This piece is in some senses a forerunner to 'Hermione's Bad Day'.


End file.
